Working with Basic Filters :: SAS(R) Visual Analytics 6.2: User's Guide

About Basic Filters

For all visualization types, you can subset your data by using the Filters tab in the right pane. You can base your filters on any data item, regardless of whether the data item is assigned to the current visualization.

Your filters can be either local filters that apply only to the current visualization, or global filters that apply to all of the visualizations in the current exploration. For more information, see Set the Scope of a Basic Filter (Global or Local).

The total percentage of values that are selected by your filters is displayed at the bottom of the Filters tab. The tooltip for the percentage displays the exact number of data rows. The percentage is calculated after data source filters are applied.

You can perform the following tasks to manage basic filters:

Create a Basic Filter
Create a Basic Filter from a Data Selection
Edit a Filter By Using Visual Filter Controls
Edit a Basic Filter By Using the Edit Filter Window
Set the Scope of a Basic Filter (Global or Local)
Delete a Basic Filter
Reset a Basic Filter

Create a Basic Filter

To create a basic filter:

From the Data pane, select the data item that you want to use as the base of the filter. You can select any data item, regardless of whether it is assigned to the current visualization.
For a local filter, either right-click on the data item, and select Add as Local Filter, or drag and drop the data item onto the Local Filters area of the Filters tab.

For a global filter, either right-click on the data item, and select Add as Global Filter, or drag and drop the data item onto the Global Filters area of the Filters tab.

Note: If a local filter exists for a data item in any of your visualizations, then you cannot create a new global filter for that data item. Remove the local filter, or change its scope to global. Similarly, if a global filter exists for a data item, then you cannot create a local filter for that data item.
Set the parameters for your filter. You can either create a basic filter by using visual filter controls, or you can create an advanced filter by using the Edit Filter window.

Note: By default, your filter changes are applied automatically to the active visualization. To apply multiple changes together, deselect Auto, and then click Apply when you are ready to apply your filter changes.

Create a Basic Filter from a Data Selection

When you select data values in a visualization, you can use the selected values to create a basic filter.

To create a new filter from a data selection:

Select one or more data values in a visualization.
Right-click on the visualization, and then select one of the following:

Include Only Selection

creates a filter that includes the selected values only.

Exclude Selection

creates a filter that excludes the selected values.

The new filter appears on the Filters tab.

Edit a Filter By Using Visual Filter Controls

About Visual Filter Controls

Visual filter controls are accessible directly from the Filters tab. The visual filter controls are different, depending on the model type of the filter data item.

Filtering Discrete Data

A Visual Filter for a Discrete Data Item

Note: If your data contains a large number of discrete values, then visual filter controls are not available. Use the Edit Filter window instead.

For data items that use the discrete data model, the filter displays all of the distinct values for the data item. To the right of each value, a bar indicates the frequency.

Use the check boxes next to each value to select the values for the filter. You can search for a value by clicking Find a value

. Enter a text string in the field. The search locates values that begin with your text string.

Click Select all to select or deselect all of the values. To invert your selection, open the Options

drop-down list, and then select Invert Selection.

To exclude data observations in which the filter category has a missing value, deselect Include missing values.

Note: This option is available only if your data contains missing values.

By default, your filter changes are applied automatically to the active visualization. To apply multiple changes together, deselect Auto, and then click Apply when you are ready to apply your filter changes.

Filtering Continuous Data

A Visual Filter for a Continuous Data Item

For measures that use the continuous data model, the filter shows the range of data values as a histogram. Sliders at each side of the histogram enable you to select the upper and lower limits of the data range that is selected by the filter.

You can enter the limits explicitly:

For numeric data, click on an upper or lower limit value, and then enter a new value in the text field.
For a continuous datetime data item, click , and then select a date or time.

To exclude data observations in which the filter measure has a missing value, deselect Include missing values.

Note: This option is available only if your data contains missing values.

By default, your filter changes are applied automatically to the active visualization. To apply multiple changes together, deselect Auto, and then click Apply when you are ready to apply your filter changes.

Edit a Basic Filter By Using the Edit Filter Window

To edit a basic filter by using the Edit Filter window:

On the Filters tab, open the drop-down list for the filter that you want to edit, and then select Edit Filter.

The Edit Filter window appears.

The Edit Filter Window (Basic)
Build the expression for your filter by dragging and dropping conditions and operators onto the expression in the right pane.

For information about the conditions and operators that are available, see Conditions and Operators for Filters.

Note: The AND and OR operators can accept more than two conditions. To add a condition to the operator, drag and drop a condition onto the operator name in the right pane, or right-click the operator name, select Add, and then select New Condition.
(Optional) For discrete data, click Preview Results to preview the filter results.
When you are finished editing your filter, click OK to apply the filter.

Set the Scope of a Basic Filter (Global or Local)

A filter can be either local (applies only to the current visualization) or global (applies to all of the visualizations in the exploration).

To set the scope of a filter, open the Options

drop-down list, and then select Global Filter or Local Filter.

Note: If you change a global filter’s scope to local, then a local filter is created for all of the visualizations in the exploration.

Note: If local filters exist in your other visualizations for the same data item, then converting your filter to a global filter will replace those local filters. A confirmation window enables you to continue or cancel.

Delete a Basic Filter

To delete a basic filter, click Remove Filter

on the filter on the Filters tab, or open the Options

drop-down list on the filter menu and then select Delete Filter.

You can delete all of your filters by opening the Options

drop-down list in the Global Filters area or in the Local Filters area of the Filters tab, and then selecting Delete All Filters.

Note: If you delete a global filter, then the filter is removed from all of your visualizations in the exploration.

Reset a Basic Filter

To restore a basic filter to its initial state, open the Options

drop-down list for the filter, and then select Reset Filter.

You can reset all of your filters by opening the Options

drop-down list in the Global Filters area or in the Local Filters area of the Filters tab, and then selecting Reset All Filters.